Aberlour – A’Bunadh

At our first whisky club gathering, I met a young man who I had never met, but had heard many good things about. It feels a little like his good taste had unknowingly spurred us all on. This young man said that he always keeps a bottle of one whisky in the house. This bottle is the A’bunadh. So I waited until there was good supermarket-based offer on the bottle, then bought one. I have drunk about a third of the bottle, so now seems like as good a time as ever to review it. I drank a good dram from a short glass, whilst watching the ever funny Ed Gamble on Mock the Week.

Nose: Raisins, Sherry and Wood.

Taste: Syrupy, Sweet and Strong, this whisky is created by first blitzing both a christmas cake and neat alcohol in a blender. After this the mixture is left to mature, condensed into a syrup, filtered through a fine mesh and placed in a bottle. Now obviously this is nonsense, but still part of me believes it.

The whisky is initially syrupy and sweet, reminding me of a mead or a sloe gin. It is subtle, smooth and sugary. This initial flavour lasts so long, that you begin to wonder whether there are any more dimensions to it. Just as you grow tired of these sweetness, the whisky suddenly opens out into a burst of wood, spice and dried dark fruit. This burst lingers, within a spreading warmth, which coats the tongue and inside of the lips. This flavouring is numbing, warming and comforting. It wraps the tongue, like a duvet on a cold night.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, strong, numbing and comforting.

Overall: 
Aroma – 15
Start – 15
Middle – 15
Finish – 16
Value – 14

Overall – 75/100

More Info: Aberlour Website

Available: Amazon